When an oil base mud is used during a drilling process, the drilling cuttings may not be disposed of until the hydrocarbons therein have been washed from the cuttings. While there have been various methods heretofore proposed for cleaning drilling cuttings, most of these methods and the structures provided for carrying out the methods are very expensive and require considerable maintenance and servicing. Accordingly, a need exists for an improved method and apparatus for cleaning drilling cuttings.
Examples of various forms of cleaning structures, including some of the general structural and operational features of the instant invention are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,693,733, 3,734,776, 3,860,019, 3,901,254 and 4,175,039.